Rollback Rx 9.1 - New Build (July 18, 2011)

Well... yea, that should work ... BUT, many RBrx users have had problems with the unINSTALL/reINSTALL of RBrx. The problems weren't with the program itself, it was with the on-line license mgmt that RBrx requires upon installation. Many of them were told that the license was no longer valid and to get it running again, they had to go through RBrx Customer Support to get their license activated again. Apparently, this is a much bigger pain than what you describe .

So, if you're only imaging for partition protection purposes, why not leave well enough alone if there's a fairly easy restoration process available... remember, you're only gonna use the restoration if you have a disk problem.

If you plan extensive maintenance of any kind (re-partitoning, defragging, etc.), then the unINSTALL/reINSTALL would actually be required.

 

Welcome...

This will be a hard nut to crack... there just isn't any info available anywhere about that "special" driver. And since drivers are position dependent on how they operate, I can't possible tell, without some testing, as to how it's positioned in realtion to RBrx's special driver processing.

What you describe is really strange... PHYLOCK should not even be in the picture since the driver has never been installed in the WinPE base (and shouldn't be). That's why IFW's WinPE builder produces a standalone set of files for standalone processing... the EXE produced doesn't even use PHYLOCK. Did you possibly integrate the wrong EXE into the Active@ Boot Disk, or maybe had some weird options set in your Windows version that carried over into the PE version? It should not have been the EXE installed into Windows, it should be the one produced by the PE builder.

And the fact that Active@ Boot Disk is tickling your Windows disk at all, supposedly while not doing anything, is clearly in error, no matter what it's doing. Either the MBR is being tickled to cause an inconsistency or something is messing with that disk's structure also cause a different type of inconsistency.

I really don't have much to offer with the ABD problems you're having. I've used the disk for years with all kinds (XP, Vista <puke>, W7... even 2K) of Windows versions and have never seen that.

Maybe you should start with a fresh build of the ABD (USB should be adequate and not so destructive), then add the PE produced IFW files and see where you are (unless you've already done this a lot). I really can't add much more...

 

I for one certainly see Scott's point. However I'm very confused about the necessity to restore the MBR (as TheRollbackFrog states). If I don't restore the MBR why woudn't the system boot-up? It seems to me that a normal hot-image backs-up the entire RB installation so even though all snapshots besides the current one may be gone, I would think that the RB sub-console would still work and the system would boot.

Wendi

 

Hello again,

At this point I think I have only one question lest to clear up....

What exactly is meant by "if installed correctly" concerning IFW in the above quote?

Again, thanks for all of the help by all of the posters in tis thread.

 

Hi TheRollbackFrog,

Jo Ann asked to jump in on this. The above symptoms should not happen (if they do, you must comunicate them to the support because is a bug of their bootloader).
How RBRx loader works:
1. During the boot it searches for the preboot OS/enviroment.
-a. If it fiinds it proceeds with RBRx.
-b. If it doesn't find it, proceeds to load the Original mbr [resides in sector 23 (LBA-22)] and then boots normally. In the Windows enviroment prompts you for the uninstall and during the uninstall, restores the mbr from the backup that made during the installation.

In your example, means that instead of the Original mbr (LBA-22), loads the backup of RBRx MBr (LBA-23). This should not happen.

Also restoring the mbr made by the hot image is not very safe because security apps can interfear with that redirection and the user could end restoring a corrupted mbr; for Drivesnapshot this is worst because it restores the not only the mbr but the entire track-0(63 sectors).

ps. The bulletproof way: make a backup of your mbr before installing RBRx. And the use it to restore the mbr before or after you restore your hot RBRx image.

Panagiotis

 

I have also now stumbled upon another question pertaining to this in a way. I know it has been established that repartitioning and defragging probably will cause problems with RBRX, so my question is this: Does the wiping of free space cause problems by deletion of the snapshots and/or other parts of RBRX thus causing problems ?

 

Thanks for your help. I'm trying to learn as I read. Do I understand correctly that I can make images without uninstalling RB with my Active@Disk Image, but the issues begin when I try to restore the image, concerning the MBR?

 

This is also what concerns me and is a great question
p.s. great info here on a super program!! thank you all

 

Hi Pandlouk, while I found your post very interesting, it was not I who asked you 'to jump in on this'.

Regarding the MBR issue, until September I had only used cold-raw-imaging to backup my RB system. I then thought about switching to hot-imaging (Windows' used sectors) to make better use of my time. In order to gain confidence in this faster and more convenient backup method I restored the system following my first two backups. I did not restore the MBR. Each time my system booted-up without a problem, at which point I was able to uninstall and reinstall RB.

JA

 

I think that answers my question. You could make your images, and only had to uninstall/re-install RB after you did a restore. Thanks!

 

I apologise both to you and Wendi for my mistake. (too much beer )

The normal way to restore is the way you perform it. But for being in the safeside you can use [URL="http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Boot-Manager-Disk/Bootice.shtml]BootIce[/URL] to backup your mbr.
I keep both bootice and the mbr backup in my documents, this way they get backed up with the image and when needed, I load the image as a virtual drive and run the restore of the mbr from there.

Panagiotis

 

Heh heh, show off !

 

Jokes apart, is really convinient especially when one has to handle multiple images from different systems.

 

Hi Kent,

What Froggie is saying that only IFW allows for imaging with Rollback Rx installed with all the Rollback Rx snapshots intact. No other imaging program allows you to do this. The reason being that all imaging programs use VSS and IFW used PYSLOCK.

To do this, there should be certain conditions met:

1. You should do sector to sector hot imaging, not cold imaging.
2. In registry, in UpperFilters PYSLOCK.sys should be above Shield.sys, basically the first item should be PYSLOCK.sys and the second item should be Shield.sys and the other items.
3. And, some other conditions.

Here is the article written by Froggie (TheRollbackFrog) with downloadable PDF instructions.

http://horizondatasys-forum.com/rollback-rx/2491-rollback-rx-image-windows-perfect-together.html

The above is a sticky at HDS forum.

Best regards,

KOR! (aka aladdin).

 

No problem Panagiotis - but maybe you should switch to another brand of beer.

I already do that (as a security precaution) - but with Dimio's HDhacker -- 'great minds think alike'.

JA

 

This MBR stuff has been enlightening. Although there is some apparent disagreement between Jo Ann, TheRollbackFrog and Pandlouk, I've still picked up some good info and tips, so... THANKS!

Scott

 

Sorry, the url to BootIce above will not load in its present configuration.

 

Also, you can use BIBM scripting (installed or from a USB flash drive) to save and restore the First Track.

Assuming your internal HD is showing as HD 1 (it is usually HD 1 if using a USB flash drive)

copy sectors 1 0 63 mbr1.bin

To restore...

copy sectors 1 0 63 mbr1.bin /w

 

Going with Jo Ann's suggestion in post #115, I downloaded HDHacker and it works a treat...

...and should you want Bootice.

Scott

 

I guess you missed my comment above where I wrote

Thats why you do not want to uninstall Rx every time you image. You can do it if you want but the time spent doing so will be significant.

 

Because the hot image will NOT include the MBR or most of the rest of Rxs code, these are hidden from Windows so the imaging program will not see them, therefore will not copy them, therefore cannot restore them.

 

Above you made 2 statements which at a min appear to contradict each other (but I get it at this point and have no more fear, in addition, I have downloaded HDHACKER and will back up the MBR just in case).

Here are your 2 statements which have the power to confuse and befuddle.

With a careful reading of the 2 comments its possible to see that in the first case the Rx MBR is inactive (missing entierly?) and in the 2nd its active (though how it could be is a mystery to me). A cursory reading of the 2 posts would miss this and thus the confusion.

By the way, thanks for your patience and help as well as thanks to the others who provided much needed clarity,,,,much appreciated.

 

I will take your advice. Thanks for the help. The thought just occurred to me that I don't believe it has been mentioned in this discussion whether or not we are imaging to an external HD. I would imagine we are. I am.

 

bgoodman4, I'm sorry to say that I don't see how your reply addresses my confusion!

 

I too am imaging to an external drive and I would expect almost all, if not all, are doing so too.

Also glad to be of assistance and its good to hear your happy with your decision to go with Rx (as I expected you would be if you gave it a try).